George iiaskell scott



(No Model) G.'H. SCOTT. ELECTRIC RAIL BOND.

Patented Ma 18, 1897.

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UNTTEE STATES PATENT EEicE.

GEORGE l-IASKELL SCOT OF \VOROESTER, MASSACHUSETTS, ASSIGNOR OF ONE-HALF TO ALBERT A. BARKER, OF SAME PLACE.

ELECTRIC RAIL-BOND.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 582,698, dated May 18, 1897.

Application filed July 17,1896. Serial No. 599,574. (No model.)

To all whom it may concern: As is well known by those skilled in the art Be it known that I, GEORGE HASKELL to which my invention appertains, much time SCOTT, of the city and county of \Vorcester and study have been expended in efforts to and State of Massachusetts, have invented produce arail-bond of the class herein named 55 certain new and useful Improvements in Elecembodying simplicity and ease of application trio Rail-Bonds; and Idoherebydeclare that and which, after having been applied, will the following is a full, clear, and exact deretain its original firm and rigid tight-coin scription thereof, reference being had to the tact connection in the rail without lateral or accompanying drawings, forming a part of longitudinal movement therein after longand 6o 10 this specification, and in which-- continual use. This result has in a measure Figure 1 represents two abutting sections been accomplished by means of other similar of rai1road-rails with my improved rail-bond bond devices, and I therefore make no claim, applied thereto. Fig. 2 represents part of a broadly, to these features, but limit my inrail-flange with one end of the rail-bond fitvention to the special construction and comr 5 ted in the opening thereof preparatory to fasbination of elements set forth, and pointed out toning the same by hammering upon the end in the claim. against a suitable block placed against the In order that others may better understand under side of the rail, as will be hereinafter the nature and purpose of my said invention, more fully described. Fig. 3is a similar View I will now proceed to describe it more in de- 20 to Fig. 2, showing the end of the rail-bond tail.

after ithas been hammered into place and Referring to the drawings, A A represent fastened in said rail-flange opening. Fig. 4 the two abutting rail-sections previously alis an isometric perspective View of one of the luded to, and 13 my improved bond for efiectcollars or bushings used on the ends of the ing an electrical connection between said rail- 25 connecting-rod of the bond. Figs. 5, 6, and sections.

7 are similar sectional views to Figs. 2 and 3, The bond device consists of the connectingshowing slight modifications in the shape of rod a and the two collars or bushings I; Z), the rail-flange openings, which will be herewhich fit over the ends of said connecting-rod inafter more fully described; and Figs. 8 and and are adapted to be driven into the openo 9 are side and end views, respectively, of the ings c in the rails.

collar or bushing shown in Fig. 4, in Fig. 9 The connecting-rod ais of equal transverse one end of the connecting-rod being shown diameter where the collars or bushings fit fitted in said collar or bushing. thereon and preferably cylindrical in shape,as

The object of my invention is to produce a is shown in the drawings. Between said col- 3 5 rail-bond for electric railroads of as simple lars the rod maybe the same or any other deand inexpensive construction as possible and sired shape in cross-section so long as that poralso which may be applied to the rails in an tion over which the collars or bushings fit has easy and expeditious manner. v parallel longitudinal sides or is of equal trans- Said invention consists in combininga converse diameter. The longitudinal openings 0 o necting-rod having parallel longitudinal sides d in said collars orbushings are of the proper and two collars or bushings fitted one over size and shape to fit the straight parallel sureach end of said connecting-rod, whose out-er faces of the ends of the rods, and their outer surfaces are parallel to their inner surfaces surfaces are of cylindrical shape in cross-secor openings, with the rails formed so that one tion to enter the round openings in the rails. 5 5 portion thereof will project farther than an- Being thus shaped, it is obvious that they other into the openings made therein for the may be produced very cheaply from ordinary reception of the ends of the bond device, or, copper tubing of the proper size and thickin other words, so that the diameter of said ness required for the purpose, it being simopenings shall be smaller at one point than ply necessary to out sections from said tubing I00 50 another, as and for the purpose hereinafter of the proper length to produce the required more fully set forth. length of collars or bushings. The connecting-rods may also be produced in like manner by simply cutting the same in proper lengths from a continuous copper rod. Therefore it will at once be apparent that the separate parts which compose my improved bond device not only embody the greatest simplicity in construction, but also the minimum of cost in their production. I

The openings in the rails made for the reception of said collars or bushings are formed of unequal transverse diameter-that is, certain portions of said openings are made of smaller transverse diameter than other portions thereof. This is done by beveling the stock of the rail around said openings in various ways-as, for instance, in Figs. 2 and 3 the diameter of the opening is shown the smallest at the center and beveled or fiared out at each side thereof. In Fig. 5 said smallest diameter is formed near one end of the opening with a long flaring bevel at one side and a short flaring bevel at the other side thereof. In Fig. 0 only a single bevel is shown with the smallest diameter of the opening at one end thereof, while in Fig. '7 the smallest diameter comes at the center, as in Figs. .2 and 3, but instead of beveling straight out therefrom to the ends of the opening, as in said Figs. 2 and 3, a short flaring bevel is made and the sides of the opening then extended in parallel lines to the ends of said opening.

The formation of the rail-opening with one portion of smaller transverse diameter than another, in combination with the straight connecting-rod and collars or bushings, constitutes the essential feature of my invention, the purpose of which will be understood from the following description of the operation of applying my rail-bond device to the rails.

The ends of the conneetingrod a are first passed through the openings in the rail-flange and the collars or bushings Z) Z) fitted thereon with the ends of said collars or bushings resting in the edge of the openings, as shown in. Fig. 2. A suitable metal block (shown by dotted lines 6) is then placed an d held by one hand under the rail, and with an ordinary hammer in the other hand the ends of the rod and collar or bushing are hammered, first lightly to produce a close frictional contact of the parts, so that they will not slip longitudinally, and then more vigorously continuing said hammering until the collar or bushing is forced down to the metal block and to eompletel y fill the space in the opening around the end of the rod, and also to head over the end of both said collar or bu shin g and the rod, as is shown in Figs, 3, 5, 6, and 7, which completes the bond connection at one end of the rod, after which the other end is fastened in like manner.

I find in practice that by a bond thus made with a cylindrical collar driven into a beveled opening the operation is not only considerably easier to perform than with a beveled collar fitting into a beveled opening, but also, owing to the reduction in diameter of the opening below the entering-point of the collar or bushing in driving it in, the stock of the connecting-rod at the point opposite the smallest diameter of the opening is considerably reduced in size by the swaging operation, the soft copper metal being forced out longitudinally, substantially as is indicated by full and dotted lines in Figs. 3, 5, (J, and 7, the metal of which the rails are made being much harder than that of said rod and collars or bushings. The rod being thus reduced in diameter at some distance in from the outer end of the collar or bushing causes it to be held rigidly from longitudinal. movement therein, while said collar or bushing is likewise held in the opening of the rail, owing to the shape thereof and to its being headed over, as previously specified. The above facts I have fully demonstrated in practice. A bond thus made and subsequently cut through longitudinally showed the rod depressed fully as much as indicated in the drawings, and the contact between the parts was so perfect as to be scarcelypereeptible-in fact, the whole forming, praeticably, one homogeneous mass of metal.

Having now described my invention, what I claim as new, and desire to soon re by Letters Patent, is I The combination of the rail-sections having openings of unequal diameters at diiferent points in their lengths, with an electric bond device comprising aconnecting-rod of cylindrical shape at the ends where it fits into said rail-section openings, and two cylindriealshaped tubes or collars adapted to fit over said cylindrical ends of the connecting-rod and to be driven into the openings in the rails against the beveled surfaces thereof, and thus, by said driving operation, causing alongitudinal compression and lateral expansion of the metal so as to completely fill the openings and form a tight fit therein, said driving operation also causing the connectingrod to be compressed laterally and its metal forced out longitudinally and expanded, substantially as and for the purpose set forth.

GEORGE HASKELL SCOT. \Vitnesses:

C. F. Wussox, ARTHUR A. GILBERT.

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